Video & Audio Considerations

If you’ve had enough privilege to be connected through technology on any level over the past year or longer, you might understand the problems on a subconscious level or even cognitive level surrounding the complexity of tech and how it can both assist in connecting to others and get in the way of it.

If we zoom out for a moment, we can see that there are detailed and high-level questions surrounding our use of tech, and how it plays into a users first experience with new hardware and new software. How do we bridge the gap for new users? What about the older generation who aren’t as used to tech? What about those in poverty who haven’t had the luxury of time to learn how to use online platforms and install hardware?

There is a natural learning curve when we adapt to new tech, obstacles we face when we attempt to connect online, and we want our experiences inside our online Relms to be as seamless as possible. With this in mind, we have been putting considerable time into discussions and prototypes for the UX Design specifically around Video and Audio capabilities and interface. Our main overarching question is:

“In order to get closer to our goal of making the digital worlds of Relm more human and connective, how do we best help people who are having trouble with their camera and microphone?“

There are several troubleshooting steps that need to be covered:

1. The participant may not have sufficient network bandwidth for video
2. The participant’s device may not be equipped with a camera or a mic
3. The participant’s device may not be configured correctly for camera/audio
4. The browser permissions may be too restrictive
5. The app’s servers may be having trouble

And in a 3D world:

6. The participant may not have sufficient CPU/GPU to render a 3D world

In addition, there are psychological aspects to overcome:

The participant may not realize they are a character in a “game world” that can move around

1. The participant may not realize the world is “live” with other people in it
2. The participant may not want to be seen/heard
3. The participant may need education to understand how to click permissions dialogs

We have open ended questions and it is our hope that over the next few months, we can answer as many as we can, through implementation, iteration and feedback.

Please feel free to support our work by joining the discussions on our Discord Channel or by visiting a Relm.